Introduction
Lanzarote, the easternmost of the Canary Islands, is a longstanding favourite for winter sunshine. The beach resorts of Puerto de la Carmen, Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca are some of the most popular travel choices, with plenty of excellent hotels beside their sandy shores and warm seas in which to swim and snorkel.
Papagayo Beach, Lanzarote
Further out to sea it's possible to try game fishing for marlin, barracuda and bonito, while sightseeing boat trips out to sea or to neighbouring Fuerteventura are other options. It may be tempting to simply recline on a sun lounger by the sea or a pool on the terrace of one's hotel or luxury villa, and many visitors do just that.
Castillo San Gabriel castle and Puente de las Bolas bridge, Arrecife, Lanzarote
But it's also well worth seeing some of the island beyond the major resorts, with untamed sections of coastline to be discovered, such as the cliff-framed beach of La Caleta de Famara on the northwest of the island. The volcanic Lanzarote interior is another notable feature, especially the Atlantida Tunnel, which, at more than seven kilometres long, is the world's longest known lava tube. This fascinating cave system – parts of it above ground, others underneath – includes the 3,000-year-old Green Caves where indigenous Guanches once sheltered, and the Jameos del Agua, a lava flow complex conceived by César Manrique that features a restaurant and a brilliant turquoise pool amongst the natural grottos and rocky overhangs.
